1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sharing information about multimedia content, including for example using comments and other information about videos.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many years, television was the dominant form of easily accessible multimedia. As such, it often formed the center of social activities. In the early days of television when not every household contained a television, multiple households might meet at a certain time at a certain place (the place with the television) in order for everyone to watch a certain television program. This behavior was driven by technological constraints. There was only one television and the television program could only be viewed at one specific time determined by the broadcaster.
Advances in technology have essentially removed these constraints. Televisions are now so inexpensive as to be ubiquitous and programming can be viewed on many devices, not just televisions. Furthermore, time-shifting technologies now allow broadcast programming to be recorded and viewed at any later time. Many other types of programming can simply be accessed at any time. Today, it is not uncommon for every person to have personal gadgets for accessing and viewing many different types of multimedia content, not just television, at all times. Thus, it is not uncommon for members of today's household to all be in the same room, but with each member viewing his/her own program on his/her own device. This is in stark contrast to the behavior from long ago. Thus, one might conclude that the behavior of sharing a video-viewing experience is now obsolete, since advances in technology have removed the constraints that in the past forced this behavior.
However, the technological constraints were only one aspect driving the behavior. People often enjoy gathering together to share a video experience. For example, shared viewing experiences happen today, even though they are not forced by technological limitations. A group of friends or floormates within a college dormitory might meet regularly to watch a weekly television series. As another example, sports fans might gather at a local sports bar in order to cheer on their favorite team. This happens not because there is only one television that must be shared; it happens because people enjoy sharing the experience.
However, it is difficult to reproduce a similar experience for people who are connected virtually. Returning to the household example, the daughter might be watching a different program than her parents and siblings, but she might be watching the same program as her friends across town (who are also watching on their devices from their homes) and she might enjoy sharing that experience even though she cannot physically meet with her friends. Thus, there is a need for technology to allow people to do so.
The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.